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Valverde: ‘I managed the situation well’

By VeloNews.com
Published: Sep. 29, 2007

Alejandro Valverde starts Sunday’s world championship as an outside favorite to win the rainbow jersey. With three-time defending champion Oscar Freire back and a favorite to win a record fourth title if the race comes down to a sprint, Valverde will play the joker on a strong Spanish squad.

Of course, it hasn’t been an easy lead up to the world’s for ’Balaverde’. It took a CAS ruling Wednesday to assure his start Sunday after the UCI wanted to ban Valverde over alleged links to Operación Puerto.

Valverde admits the pre-race controversy proved to be distracting, but he vows to get revenge with a strong race on Sunday. Here are excerpts from an interview conducted by a Spanish cycling federation press officer ahead of the race:

Question: Alejandro, you are finally in Stuttgart, a city that awaits you for the world championship that will take place on Sunday and where you were preceded by the polemic. Did you really believe you would be at the start? Alejandro Valverde: I am really happy to be in Stuttgart for the world championships, which is the most important thing. I was quiet all the time, training well and doing my job, but even if I was concentrated at 98 percent come, two percent were left for doubt. What matters now is to concentrate on the Sunday race to achieve a good championship. Q: A few days ago, you said that it was not easy to keep the motivation required for a world championship, but knowing that you are a conscientious rider desiring to prepare very well for the world championship, how did you specifically trained for such an event? AV: I think I trained very well. I alternated long and shorter but more intensive training sessions, with Sunday in my thoughts. Sometimes it was not easy to remain as concentrated as I needed to be, but that never lasted a long time. But I think that I managed the situation pretty well. All the people who were at my side did a great job, starting from my team to the Spanish federation and the sports council, as well as my representative. It is very important. Q: And here you are surrounded by a very strong team … Everyone knows that the Spanish team is the strongest one, together with the Italian and the other team are generally afraid of us. I believe that everybody in the team is in good condition and that we will prove it on Sunday, thanks to that union which makes the force of our team. Q: How do you see the race of Sunday? AV: The arrival is difficult, with three kilometers of climbing and that, after 267 kilometers, with grades of three percent, will make that it will be very selective race, which is of course an advantage for the Spanish selection. Q: In previous world’s, you were more or less the unique leader. This year you share that with Oscar Freire. If in the past the selection were very powerful, this year it is more powerful yet, correct? AV: It is sure that with Oscar, we are the selection number one. Without him, we would form part of the best three groups, but with his presence we are indisputably the number one team. We will see how the race will develop on Sunday, but I as said in many occasions, if a big group presents itself for the finish, he will be the best one and the most experienced one to go for the title. As for me, I know that I will have some liberty to go in the lead for example if a dangerous rider does attack. Q: Can that be a disadvantage of being the strongest selection at the time it will be necessary to control the race? AV: I don’t believe so. That made already several years that it is the case and just like we have been able to manage the situation during the last editions, we certainly will do the same this time. For sure. Q: What would be the ideal day for you? AV: The ideal would be to wake up in very good condition and no rain! Then, to be on the higher step on the podium, then I will go home very happy! Q: We who know you know that you a rancorous person but will you start animated by a particular rage, by a particular motivation because of the events of the last days? AV: It will be a special world championship under all the aspects. And to take the departure with more aggressiveness than I did in the previous editions will be one of these.